


yakusoku

by platonics



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Ambiguity, Bittersweet, Developing Relationship, Domestic, Flowers, Introspection, Isolation, Language of Flowers, Living Together, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Nonbinary Shinguji Korekiyo, Other, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sharing a Bed, Slice of Life, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25040902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/platonics/pseuds/platonics
Summary: “I never would’ve imagined we’d end up like this,” she said, passing them a tube of mascara without needing to be asked.“Like what? Domestic?” Their fingers brushed hers as they took it, a hint of a smile on their face. “Neither did I.”After the game, against all odds, they continued to grow.
Relationships: Shinguji Korekiyo/Yumeno Himiko
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	yakusoku

**Author's Note:**

> vague on purpose post-game setting. how exactly they both got out alive is up to you.
> 
> title means 'promise' and is from the roselia song of the same name

**椿 (yellow camellia)**

Flowers grew on the balcony — in chipped ceramic pots on the floor, in narrow planters hanging from the balustrade. They were some of the few bits of beauty they allowed themselves, inexpensive and easy to tend to. Himiko took to watering them in the morning most days, as soon as she was up and around. The summer sun was warm against her skin as it climbed higher in the sky, pleasant and welcoming.

It would be less welcoming in a couple of hours, once the midday heat set in. Their shitty air conditioner made the lights flicker whenever it kicked on, and Shinguuji hated it anyway, so it was always a battle. They’d taken to hiding the remote lately. Sometimes Himiko found it under the kitchen sink, or at the back of a bookshelf. They never took the easy route of just putting it somewhere too high for her to reach.

Her afternoons were usually spent in front of a fan with an iced coffee until they took mercy on her. It wasn’t like she set the temperature all that low anyway — she wasn’t the kind of monster who liked living in a veritable freezer. But Shinguuji usually wrapped up in a blanket all the same, slumped on the sofa with an expression as close to pouty as they ever got.

* * *

**グラジオラス (gladiolus)**

Other times, she was the one shivering. At least a few times a week, she crept down the hall to their room at night, trying not to wake them. In the beginning, she used to knock at their door, asking permission. Nowadays, it was better to just let herself in. She entered as quiet as could be, curling up beneath their sheets. Shinguuji’s grip was remarkably strong, so much so that it startled her at first.

“Jeez,” she muttered, turning her head to peer over at them in the dark. “What are you, a boa constrictor or something? If you wanna kill me, I’m sure there’s easier ways.” She wasn’t being serious, of course, but Shinguuji didn’t laugh. Even in the faint traces of light creeping between the window blinds, she saw the way their expression shuttered off and felt their arms loosening.

It took a few days before they dared to hold her again. She tried not to make jokes about murder anymore.

Aside from their arms around her, their presence was largely unobtrusive. They slept still and silent, sometimes eerily so. Himiko was one to toss and turn, the kind of person used to waking up stretched out diagonally across the mattress, or with all the blankets falling off the bed. Shinguuji, in contrast, could go hours without moving a millimeter. Only the slight rise and fall of their chest as they breathed distinguished them from a corpse. In that sense, it wasn’t too different from sleeping alone, but it gave her comfort all the same. 

When they weren’t all but dead to the world, well, that was how she knew it was going to be a bad night.

She tried not to hear the words they muttered, tried not to think too hard about what kinds of dreams could destroy them so thoroughly — leave them trembling and struggling for breath, flinching away from any unexpected touch. She knew anyway, of course. It was impossible not to. But she was learning when to acknowledge it and when to pretend.

She telegraphed her movements those nights and spoke softer than usual. Anything to make herself seem small and nonthreatening, never mind the fact that she was very much both of those things already. She tried to be soft, asking permission for things as small as holding hands or turning on a light, motivated by the same sort of feeling that kept them from ever raising their voice.

On one of the rare occasions Himiko was caught by the press, someone asked her to summarize their relationship in a sentence. _‘We could betray each other so easily,’_ she said. _‘But we both know we won’t.’_

Trusting each other to never inflict harm, to be partners and allies in this strange new reality — that was the foundation they grew from.

* * *

**菫 (violet)**

Packages arrived at the front door almost every day, a side effect of their reclusive lifestyle. Delivered groceries, books and artifacts Shinguuji ordered, cosmetics, all manner of things. Sometimes going unnoticed until one of them checked the label or actually opened the box, Team Danganronpa sent them things too.

Free merch of themselves — it was laughable. That was just one of the perks former cast members were given, but none of them came close to healing some of the damage. Even the monthly prize money, generous enough that they could live comfortably without steady work, felt almost like an insult some days. There were few material solutions to emotional wounds.

When Himiko dragged in the latest box, giving it a gentle kick to send it sliding into the middle of the living room, she considered just leaving it there. The familiar logo was front and center, promising disappointment to come. But with nothing else to do, she fetched a pair of scissors and sat down, carefully cutting through the packing tape.

Smiling up at her when she finally got the box open were more copies of her own face than she ever wanted to see at once. There were just as many anthropologists as magicians, of course. In her humble opinion, those were much nicer to look at. Badges, keychains, little acrylic display stands, all nestled in a protective layer of packing peanuts. 

“Hey, Shinguuji, have you seen this stuff?” she called out, not sure where they were but confident that they’d hear her. The apartment wasn’t that big.

When she didn’t get an immediate answer, she shrugged, beginning to sift through the box’s contents. Most of it was the same kinds of stuff they’d gotten before, though there were a few surprises here and there (Danganronpa face masks, really? Someone on the team would have to be dangerously naive to think Shinguuji would ever give them free advertising.)

“No, I haven’t seen it.” At the sound of their voice from above, Himiko startled, face reddening. _Of course_ they had to show up just when she was gazing down at one of the other surprising additions, hand lingering next to it almost reverently. Deciding she might as well just go with it at this point, she took the Shinguuji plushie from the box, holding it up for them to see.

“It’s so cute,” she cooed, hugging it close. Right on cue, she could see the embarrassment in their eyes. They cleared their throat, steadfastly avoiding eye contact as they sank to the floor across from her. 

“I doubt many people would agree with you on that, Yumeno-san. It wouldn’t be a very accurate replica if they did.” They chuckled, looking down into the box between them instead of at her.

“Aw, what do you mean? I think it’s adorable. I don’t even want to put it back in the box.”

“Planning on cuddling with it, are you?” Shinguuji raised an eyebrow, but she could see their fingertips trailing over the matching plushie of herself.

“Maybe. But I think I’d still prefer the real one.”

* * *

**百日草 (zinnia)**

Sometimes she sat on the bathroom counter while they did their makeup. Occasionally it was because she was nagging them into helping her re-dye her hair, but more often, it was just to chat. Not too long ago, they wouldn’t have let her see them without their mask so casually. They’d come a long way since those early days.

“I never would’ve imagined we’d end up like this,” she said, passing them a tube of mascara without needing to be asked.

“Like what? Domestic?” Their fingers brushed hers as they took it, a hint of a smile on their face. “Neither did I.”

“Yeah, that, but also just...getting along so well at all. I didn’t think I’d be so close to anyone from Danganronpa. Thought I’d want to get away from the reminders. But then we actually got out and...”

“You felt differently,” Shinguuji finished, looking in the mirror instead of at her. She felt a little less exposed that way.

“Weak, more like. I couldn’t have been by myself.”

“You could have if you needed to be. You’re stronger than you think, Yumeno-san. You saved me, not the other way around. I’m not too proud to admit that.”

Himiko stayed quiet at first. She leaned back, listening to the gentle clicking of lipstick tubes against each other as they searched for the right color. Today was a green kind of day, a dark, muted shade that almost matched their hair. She’d done her nails in a similar color the night before.

“Maybe, if I had to. But I’m glad I didn’t.”

“You’re not usually so sentimental at this hour.” They were giving her their full attention now, piercing amber eyes staring into her very soul. “Surely you’re not thinking of going off on your own, are you?”

“What? No,” she scoffed. “Never.” Then, feeling the need to temper her statement, she added, “ _Someone’s_ gotta keep you out of trouble.”

“Hmm.” Before uncapping their lipstick, they reached in, hand brushing some hair out of her face. She hardly batted an eye, obediently leaning into their touch. “Then someone must also keep you entertained, lest you slip into hibernation. If that responsibility is to remain mine, I might need to stop calling you Yumeno-san.”

“Yeah, you might, Korekiyo,” she said, testing out the feeling of their given name in her mouth.

* * *

**桜草 (japanese primrose/sakurasou)**

They didn’t eat at the kitchen table. There were usually flowers there. Sometimes picked from outside, sometimes bought, but always painstakingly arranged in delicate, mismatched vases. Korekiyo even made little signs for them when they were especially restless. Notecards with the flowers’ names and meanings, along with some sort of anthropological note of interest, were placed in front of each vase like a museum display. They’d never once had a single visitor.

“I didn’t know you were into that,” she said and nodded toward the label for a nearby camellia, its petals starting to droop. “Hanakotoba, I mean. But I guess it’s part of anthropology too, huh? Flowers don’t have any inherent meaning. It’s all just stuff people made up. Arbitrary.”

“Ah, Himiko. I’m not sure I’d use the word arbitrary, but yes, you’re correct. It’s a cultural tradition, and thus falls under the purview of cultural anthropology. The ways in which different groups interpret the same natural phenomena are fascinating to me.”

“Hmm.” She took a seat in the chair she’d been leaning against, gaze dragging over each of the current note cards in turn. “Longing. Strength of character. Sincerity. Loyalty. Long-lasting love.” The assortment of flowers was beautiful, undiminished by the clutter of books and papers across the rest of the table. “Flower language was created for a reason, right? To share things that couldn’t be said out loud.”

“Yes, sometimes.”

**Author's Note:**

> i actually did a lot of flower research for this but different sources had slightly different meanings and such so if anything isn't quite accurate, i apologize! i believe all the flowers i chose are commonly grown in japan too, except maybe zinnias? idk sjgjhsj but i tried for accuracy!
> 
> anyway join me in writing himikiyo maybe 👉👈 i've been yearning more than usual lately


End file.
